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E. E. JOHNSONI TRACE FASTENER.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER E. JOHNSON, OF HERKIMER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR' OF ONE-HALF `TO JONAS H. AUSMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

TRAC E-FApS'T E N ER. y

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,452, dated J une 3, 1890.

Application filed March 5, 1889. Serial No. 301.878. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be 1t known that l, ELMER E. JOHNSON, of Herkimer, county of Herkimer, inthe State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Trace-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to trace-fasteners.

The object of the present invention is to produce a safety trace-fastener of simple and comparatively inexpensive construction and of great utility, adapted to be readily applicable to the ordinary form of'whiftletrees or draft-bars regardless of the size of the same, and yet obviatev the necessity of cutting or tapering the same for the reception ofthe holder, and which will securely hold the trace or traces against accidental displacement or removal, and thereby insure positive safety.

The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, and `pointed out in the claim hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan View of an end of a whiflietree provided with a tracefastener constructed in accordance with this invention, showing in dotted lines the position of the parts when receivingatrace. Fig. 2 1s a side elevation, the trace being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the trace-holder detached.

Referring to the drawings, A designates an end portion of a whiiiletree or draft-bar of the ordinary construction, having its end adapted to be encompassed bythe trace eye or slot in a trace.

B is a trace-holder, constructed of a single piece of light steel bent at its middle to form a transverse elongated trace-receiving loop c2 and parallel elongated and approximately L-shaped side arms C and O', arranged 'sufficiently far apart to admit readily between them at their pivotal point an ordinary whifletree, and capable of being spread to receive a largerwhifetree. The parallel side arms O and C are respectively of approximatelyrightangular form longitudinally, they being bent or curved, as at D, then diverged, and iinally converged, forming a rear transversely-dispoint D of bending of the arms, I form a perforation D', whereby, by means of a bolt or rivet D2, I pivotally secure the respective side arms at opposite sides-of the end port-ions of the interposed whitiietree, likewise perforated for the bolt.

Vhen I desire to attach a trace to an end of a whiftletree, I grasp the pivoted holder B,

lswinging it inward and forward, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. l, and then pass the end yof the trace H-through the eye O2 thereof, and

thence rearward until a trace eye or slot is in line with the end of the whiffletree when the same is pressedinto engagement, and strain upon the trace causes the lateral arms O and C to swing backward adjacent to the whiftletreeface.

To remove the end of the trace from the whiliietree, the aforesaid action is reversed, the arms C and C being swung forward as before, whereby sufficient slack is obtained to admit of the easy removal of the trace-eye from its lodgment.

The eye G is of great service whenever, as it frequently occurs in the proper and satisfactory adjustment of the trace longitudinally, it is requisite that the second or some succeeding trace-eye shouldbe secured to the whifietree end, inwhich case by means of vmy device the trace end usually extending some distance rearward beyond the whiiiietree and presenting an appearance that is displeasing and ungraceful is entirely obviated, as the extended end may readily be brought around alongside of the whiietree and inserted through the eye G, thereby not only causing the same to present a neat appearance, but additionally the above arrangement serves to more securely hold the trace-eye of the trace upon the whifietree end, (if more positive hold be possible,) as the greater the lon-l gitudinal or lateral strain upon the trace the closer the contact of the eye C2 to the whiftle- ICO tree, and thus in a corresponding degree will the socket portion G bear upon and hold the extended trace end lying therein.

It will be noticed that the arms C C are arranged at such distance apart that they are adapted to receive a whiiiietree of the narrowest construction, and that the two terminals of the arms meet at the center after forming the eye G. It will be evident bythe construction described that the holder may be sprung apart and the space between its arms C C widened to a distance adapted to receive whiletrees of any ordinary width, the arms and their terminals being spread for that purpose. It will also be noticed that by pivoting' the holder beyond the bent portions D, I am enabled to swing said holder open to a greater distance than if pivoted directly at lhe bend. Furthermore, I am thus enabled to dispose the arms C and C parallel with the Whietree, and thus the eye C2 is directly in line with the trace, which fits the same somewhat closely. It is apparent that should I pivot the holder directly at the bend, as here tofore, the lateral swinging of the trace as caused by the movements of the horse would not be met by a corresponding swinging of the holder, and the result would be that the holder would soon become loose at its pivot and in a comparatively short time iueiicient.

By pivoting the holder in the rear of the bend, and therefore in the rear of the eye C2, any movement of the trace caused by the movement of the horse will be met with la corresponding movement of the holder at its free end, and the trace exerts no strainwhatever upon the holder, which would not only tend to loosenV the same, but unlock it and liberate the trace.

The herein-described trace-holder, formed of a single piece of light metal and bent at its middle to form a transverse eye C2, rear- Wardly bent to form opposite parallel arms approximately right angularly, as at D, and perforated beyond said bent portion, as at D', in rear of the plane of the eye C2, and diverged and converged `meeting to forman eye G, closely iitting the trace, the arms being sprung apart to receive any size whiflletree, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27 th day of February, 1889.

ELMER E. JOHNSON. [L. s]

In presence of- A. J. SMITH, W. C. Pnnsoo'rr. 

